Bloodstained Conscience
by The needy stranger
Summary: Tenchi's reflections on a loss of innocence.


DISCLAIMER: Due to circumstances beyond my control, I do not own Tenchi Muyo or any of the characters within. If I did, then why would I be writing fan fiction? If Pioneer or AIC take offence to me writing this fanfic, then they would probably sue me for the paltry amount that I'm worth.  
  
Blood-stained Conscience, a Tenchi Muyo fan-fiction by Richard Abraham.  
  
  
"You've won boy."  
And with those words, Kagato evaporated into nothingness.  
  
beep, beep, beep, beep  
  
Tenchi groaned and, in a sleepy stupor, switched off his alarm clock. He was feeling pretty unsettled by what he had been dreaming. Kagato's death. By his own hands, Tenchi had killed him. He groaned again as he half rolled to the edge and sat up, putting his feet on the ground.  
  
This had not been the first time that Tenchi had had this dream. Every night, the vision of Kagato's death had haunted his sleep, seeming to taunt him.  
  
What were you supposed to feel when you had killed someone? This was a question that had plagued him the past week. There was no doubt that Kagato was an evil man, however, maybe there had been another option available other than to take his life. No! There had been no other choice. It had been Kagato's own actions that had led to his death. Tenchi did not regret killing him. Billions of lives had been at stake, including the lives of the people he cared about. Perhaps though.... perhaps he regretted what he had lost when he had slain Kagato.  
  
Tenchi scanned his room. Luckily, there was no sign of Ryoko. He didn't want to alert the other members of the household to the fact that something was troubling him. He stood up and started to get dressed his grandfather's words still on his mind:  
  
Grandfather had been the only person to whom Tenchi had confided in. Katsuhito, sensing his grandson's mood, had approached him only last night. Tenchi had confessed his feelings, and fears, and worries. His grandfather had asked him to think about the battle, to replay it in his mind and analyse his moves. After that, he had asked Tenchi if there was any way that he could have changed the outcome for the better. After agonising over it for almost an hour, he admitted that he could not think of a better solution.  
  
Tenchi's thoughts snapped back to the present as he opened his door. Immediately he smiled as the smell of Sasami's breakfast teased his nose, tantalising his taste buds with a ghost-like taste of the culinary masterpiece that awaited him downstairs. Eagerly, Tenchi headed downstairs and into the kitchen. On the way down, his thoughts once again drifted to last night:  
  
Katsuhito had frowned when he noticed that his grandson's demeanour had not improved even with his acceptance of his chosen course of action. He had then asked him to imagine the consequences of Kagato's victory had he failed.  
  
Sasami would probably have died once Kagato had captured and drained the Tsunami of it's energy.  
  
Ryoko would have died when Kagato had drained the energy (and thus, life-force) from Ryoko's gem.  
  
Aeka, Mihoshi, and Washu would have spent the rest of their lives trapped in the mirror realm of the Soja.  
  
Admittedly, other things had come to mind. These were the images that stuck with him though.  
  
Tenchi, his mind again in the present, smiled as he took in the events unfolding around him as he was sitting at the breakfast table.  
  
Sasami was feeding Ryo-Ohki, perched on her shoulder, giggling as the playful little cabbit took the time to nuzzle her cheek between mouthfuls of carrot.  
  
Ryoko and Aeka were glaring at each other, arguing silently (at the moment) over who was going to get the last fish on the table.  
  
Mihoshi was happily polishing off the last of her breakfast. Looking up, and seeing the lone morsel on the table, Mihoshi quickly snatched it up and ate it. This of course turned the attention of the two previously mentioned women onto Mihoshi who gulped and apologised meekly.  
  
Little Washu was laughing to herself over the situation developing between the three other women. She turned to look at Tenchi and, seeing his lightened mood offered a small, sincere smile and a thumbs up to him. Tenchi offered her his own smile.  
  
Tenchi let the warm feelings of love and contentment wash over him. This is what he had protected when he had killed Kagato. He realised that if he had to do it over again, he would, without hesitation or remorse. Looking towards the people he cared about, he knew that he wouldn't be having anymore nightmares.  
  
-Fin-  
  
  
Author's notes (does anybody actually read these?)  
  
I think that there aren't enough fanfics out there dedicated to exploring Tenchi's feelings in the aftermath of his battle with Kagato (it was certainly never brought up in the OVA episodes).  
Tenchi is not the kind of person who would not be affected by taking a life.  
  
That's why I decided to whip up this short fic dealing with a few of Tenchi's thoughts on the matter. I know it seems under-developed, especially when considering emotions as complex as guilt and shame. This is pretty much deliberate. This was only ever meant to be a very short fic, written in a single day when I was unable to work on my 'Hidden Intention' series. I might decide to expand the themes within this fic after my other series is finished (depending on the feedback of course).  
  
Please, please, PLEASE, get in contact with me to tell me what you think of this. This is only the second fanfic that I've posted so I need feedback.  
  
Finally, I'd like to thank my pre-reader Nicholas Wedo, for keeping me on the straight and narrow in not only this, but my Hidden Intention series as well. 


End file.
